i do want to thank you for asking me to represent them in washington. i want to thank the many people who have served on my staff for almost 20 years. i have to say i am touched that both senses, on both sides of this room are filled with my staff members who have been so hard-working, so loyal, and have produced so much in 20 years for our state and nation. and i think them. i do want to thank my colleagues and all the people who work here. senators, but also those who work behind the scenes to make our lives as good as they can be with the hard hours that we all have. those who keep our buildings safe and clean, the work in the library, the shops, the cafeterias, and to guide tens of thousands of tourists through our nation's beautiful capital each year. i want to thank my husband, ray, and her two children, bailey in houston, they are 11 now, and so many of my colleagues that were here when i started bringing my children as babies here, have watched them grow up. the senate isn't easy on families. they sacrificed so i could serve the people of texas,